King Charles’s Balmoral Castle estate has been closed to the public for two days because of flood warnings in Aberdeenshire.
Tourists hoping to visit the 50,000 acre estate, where the 74-year-old monarch has spent most of the past few weeks, were warned not to bother today.
A notice on the estate website and social media channels said: “Due to adverse weather warnings, Balmoral Estate will be closed to the public on Thursday 19th and Friday 20th October.
“A red and amber weather warning for heavy rainfall and severe wind has been issued for Aberdeenshire which is expected to cause severe flooding and disruption.
“We will be monitoring the conditions and will provide a further update on our weekend opening hours this Friday. “
The estate’s 50,000 acre grounds but not the castle are currently supposed to be open to the public seven days a week free of charge.
But Police Scotland warned people not to travel across Angus and South Aberdeenshire and issued flood warnings across the area today.
The King, who was at Balmoral earlier this week, returned to London to attend a dinner at the Mansion House in the City on Wednesday evening and was at Buckingham Palace hosting a reception today.
It comes as the Met Office has put in place a rare red weather warning in Scotland and warns parts of the UK could be cut off by flooding as Storm Babet batters the country.
The red Met Office warning says that from 6pm there is “danger to life from fast-flowing or deep floodwater” in Aberdeenshire and Angus in eastern Scotland, with extensive road closures expected.
Residents of Brechin in Angus have been told to leave their homes with more than 350 homes being evacuated.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has said they are expecting “extensive river and surface water flooding” as Storm Babet hits, with the British Geological Survey warning there could be landslides.
Storm Babet is expected to bring 70mph gusts and more than a month’s worth of rain in the worst-affected regions of the UK on Thursday.
Scotland isn’t the only nation facing severe weather warnings as Storm Babet sweeps the nation, with warnings in place across England, Wales and Northern Ireland too.
A new amber warning for rain has been issued for parts of northern England, the Midlands and Wales.
